Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Vegan Restaurants In and Around Fukuoka

Maizuru Park is Fukuoka's Largest Backyard and home to its castle ruins.

Fukuoka is a very live-able city and an interesting one to visit. The vegan scene has improved drastically over the last couple of years, with good options both within the city and a short train ride. If you have more than a day in the city I recommend taking the short trip to at least one of Funadeya or Haze Rouge.

Orientation

Fukuoka is a merger of the two former municipalities, Fukuoka and Hakata, with both names commonly used to describe the city. Most significantly, Hakata is the name given to the main station (for Shinkansens) and is the commercial hub, but Tenjin (five minutes away on the Airport Line, or a half hour walk) is the cultural and certain culinary heart of Fukuoka, especially for vegans. It would be better, if possible, to stay around that area, but the city is covered well enough by buses and the subway that transport isn't a problem at all. Note that the only "Fukuoka Station" is in fact in Toyama Prefecture.

Cafe

The vegan heart and soul of Fukuoka is the famous Evah Dining. Unfortunately they recently closed their flagship restaurant, and they now run a simpler cafe inside the Riverrain shopping mall. It's a shadow of its former self as one of Japan's best and best-value vegan restaurants, but if you just want an easy, affordable vegan meal it's worth a visit.Portions, which mostly cost from 800 to 1000 Yen, are small, so I recommend ordering a couple per person. As usual in Japan, lunch sets are better value.
The mall is closest to Nakasukawabata Station, two stops from Hakata Station on the Kuko Line . Car parking is available.

Bentos (Lunchboxes)

A bento from Evah Dining on the Shinkansen (800 Yen)

But Evah are best known for their incredible bentos, or Japanese lunchboxes, which are available in two outlets in Hakata Station. They are especially good for taking to Maizuru Park or Ohori Park (the heart of Fukuoka, famous for its castle ruins). A small meal starts at around 500 Yen, and a take-out feast can be had for 1,000 Yen. While it's generally food which doesn't keep too well, consider getting one for the next day's breakfast if you'll be up early to explore the city. If you are passing through Fukuoka on the shinkansen (in which case you're probably not reading this) it's worth stopping by to stock up on the day's food. The largest kiosk is the easiest to find, and is in Ippin Dori "street" (inside the station, so not really a street), not far from the main
Shinkansen ticket gate. If in doubt just ask at information where Evah Dining (エヴァダイニング) is.

Coffee Hiruneko

The friendly vegan owners of this cat-themed cafe serve Fukuoka's best Western and international fusion food, including the best pizza in Fukuoka. It's open late and a great place to stop in for a coffee or satisfying meal.

In nearby Kurume is the incredible Haze Rouge, which serves some of the finest vegan macrobiotic food in Japan to guests who dine in their own room in this 120 year-old Japanese house in the inaka ( Japanese countryside). This experience is similar to eating the famed Shojin-Ryori (Japanese temple cuisine, best eaten in Kyoto or at Koyasan), however it uses Western tables and chairs and utensils, and the food is also more Western / international fusion in its style. Dining here is a unique experience, and with delicious, multi-course lunch sets starting at 1650 for a four-course menu or 2,950 for a five-course menu. Walk-ins are welcome for lunch, but reservations are required for dinner, which start at around 5,000 Yen.

To get there, take the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omita Line from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station, and then transfer to Bus 25, and get off at Shimono (下野) stop after about twenty minutes. The whole journey from Fukuoka, including the pleasant ten-minute walk, should take about an hour and cost about a thousand Yen. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, more money than sense or are coming from the south already, Kurume Station is also a stop on the Kyushu Shinkansen. It would of course be easier with your own wheels, but don't let the public transport put you off.

Near Haze Rouge

The amazing Daihonzan Naritasan Kurume (Buddhist) Temple (久留米成田山) with its 62-metre high Kannnon statue . If you're there early enough (it close at 5PM) it's possible to climb up and look out the eyes of the Buddha, and to witness Buddhist Hell beneath the Buddha (500 Yen). Note that there's also another Naritasan Temple in the other Narita City in Chiba, best known for Tokyo's Narita International Airport. To get there from the restaurant it's necessary to change buses again at the Nishitetsu Bus Station.See also:Wikitravel Kurume

Veggie Funadeya (船出屋)

The owners of Funadeya are passionate about promoting vegan food and animal rights, passion that's obvious by the animal rights stickers on the door and especially the quality of the food and generous portions. This is the place to come for a hearty, inexpensive feast while staying in Fukuoka. Set meals start at around 1000 Yen. Bentos (take-out lunchboxes) start at around 600 Yen.

Unfortunately for the casual visitor, Funadeya is near Shishibu Station, about half an hour north of Fukuoka on the JR Kagoshima Local Line (鹿児島本線). It's essential to call before travelling out there, as they sometimes close to run their catering service.It's not far from the station, but is a little tricky to reach, so it's best to have a smartphone with a data connection, or at least have the directions saved on your phone.